Luke's ENGLISH Podcast - Learn British English with Luke Thompson My Dad talks about his life [978]
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Mar 2, 2026 Rick Thompson, former BBC journalist and foreign news editor, shares memories from post-war Britain to a career in broadcast news. He talks about school mischief, musical family influences, Oxford and early journalism training. He revisits hitchhiking Europe, life in Swinging London advertising, family life and reflections on ageing.
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Baby Boomer Context Shapes Freedom
- Rick frames being a baby boomer as growing up post-WWII with better food, free education and the new NHS.
- He links that era's rapid change to increased freedom, indulgence and a generation gap with parents.
Father Built Airstrips From Iceland To Cocos
- Rick recounts his father's wartime service: Royal Engineers, building airstrips in Iceland and later the Cocos Islands.
- He describes exotic souvenirs like shells and a carved boat brought home from the Cocos.
Eccentric Oxford Interviewers Fired Rapid Questions
- Rick describes his Oxford interview with two eccentric English professors who fired sudden questions at him.
- He remembers one chain-smoker letting ash fall and another pacing and asking sharp literary questions during the interview.